The Philippine Rural Development Project (PRDP)-Project Support Office (PSO) Visayas Cluster successfully staged the last leg of the 1st World Bank Implementation Support Mission in Panglao, Bohol last September 14-16, 2015.

Delegates from the World Bank, National Project Coordination Office (NPCO), Regional Project Coordinating Office (RPCO), Provincial Project Management Implementing Unit (PPMIUs) were welcomed to Bohol by province Governor Edgardo M. Chatto during the plenary session on the first day.

“We are very grateful for being given this opportunity to host and likewise, we are very thankful and privileged to welcome all of you to the 1st World Bank Implementation Support Mission,” Governor Chatto said.

“With a common vision, we will work together,” he ended.

PRDP National Project Director Atty. Emerson U. Palad also extended his message to everyone in attendance.

“The Visayas cluster has been through a series of trials the past years. In fact, Bohol was one of those who have been greatly affected by the Earthquake in 2013. Now that your province has risen, we would like to persist in the agricultural landscape of Bohol and the whole Visayas,” said Palad.

Meanwhile, World Bank Team Task Leader and Senior Rural Development Specialist Carolina Fegueroa-Geron gave a refresher regarding PRDP’s Mission Objectives.

Likewise, PRDP NPCO Deputy Project Director Engr. Arnel V. de Mesa delivered a comprehensive report about PRDP updates and accomplishments as of mid-August of this year.

He discussed the Project Development Objectives which aims to:

1. Increase real household annual incomes of farmer and fisherfolk beneficiaries by at least 5% per year from a 144,000 load baseline;
2. Register a 30%-increase in incomes for targeted beneficiaries involved in enterprise development from a load baseline of 69,000 per year;
3. Achieve 7% increase in value of annual marketed output from a load baseline of 75,000 to about 113,000 at the end of the project line;
4. Attain 20% increase in the number of farmers and fisherfolk with improved access to DA services.

He also noted that the Visayas cluster is one of the identified areas for the Global Environment Facility grant with the aim of increasing the management effectiveness of marine protected areas. Also included in his report are the respective budget allotted for each component; memorandum of agreements signed and to be signed with provinces; and approved/pipelined subprojects.

PRDP PSO Visayas Project Director Engr. Roy A. Abaya was the last in line to deliver his report about the updates and accomplishments of the Visayas Cluster for 2015.

He started that out of the 16 provinces in the Visayas, PRDP managed to ink partnership through Memorandum of Agreement with 15 local government units.

Director Abaya elaborated with regards to the approved/pending budget allotted to every subprojects of the I-BUILD and I-REAP Component. He also spoke of the trainings conducted on SES-GRM to the provinces of Bohol and Cebu as well as the establishment of a GRM Directory, except Biliran.

The provinces of Bohol and Negros Occidental, through their respective PPMIU heads, delivered their PCIP presentations of seaweeds and muscovado sugar, respectively.

The morning session ended with an Open Forum moderated by PSO Visayas I-PLAN Component Head Imelda Q. Fernandez.

The afternoon program, on the other hand, commenced through a Press Conference attended by VIPs and friends from the media, followed by a Contractors’ Meeting facilitated by PSO Visayas I-BUILD Component.

In the later part, PRDP components and units split up for a Worksop/Canned Group Discussion with World Bank Specialists/Consultants together with their respective counterparts from the NPCO, PSO and RPCOs.

The night was capped off through the Governor’s Night wherein delegates and participants were treated with a night of fun and entertainment as prepared by the PPMIU Bohol. (September Noon A. Macahilo, PSO-Visayas)